Nearly 9,000 citizens of the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu have applied for a special climate visa to Australia, according to recent official data. This figure represents 82 per cent of Tuvalu’s total population and reflects the urgent threat the nation faces from rising sea levels.
Australia’s high commission in Tuvalu confirmed that 8,750 people, including families, have registered under the new visa scheme. The programme was created as part of the Falepili Union agreement signed in 2024. It is described as the first arrangement of its kind worldwide, offering Tuvaluans a “pathway for mobility with dignity as climate impacts worsen.”
The Falepili Union was signed to strengthen ties between Australia and Tuvalu while also limiting the influence of other powers in the Pacific. Under the deal, Australia introduced a new visa category specifically for Tuvalu citizens, who will be chosen through a random selection process. The agreement also establishes a wider security framework by committing Australia to support Tuvalu in the event of natural disasters, pandemics, or military threats. Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Feleti Teo called the pact a historic commitment, adding that it was the first time a nation had legally promised to “recognise the future statehood and sovereignty of Tuvalu despite the detrimental impact of climate change induced sea level rise.”
Scientists warn that Tuvalu, among the most climate vulnerable places on earth, could become uninhabitable within 80 years. Two of its nine coral atolls have already been largely lost to rising tides.
The announcement of the visa numbers came on the same day as a key decision from the world’s top court in The Hague. Pacific nations have asked the court to clarify the legal duty of countries to act against climate change and hold major polluters responsible. The outcome of this case could prove vital for global climate justice.
Tuvalu remains one of only 12 nations that continue to maintain formal ties with Taipei rather than Beijing. Under the Falepili Union, Australia will also have a say in any defence pacts Tuvalu signs with other countries.
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